Classic Yamaha Motorcycles - Old Yamaha RD Motorcycles

Here are my selection of what I consider to be a good buyers guide to some Classic Yamaha Motorcycles that can be owned, used and still command a worthwhile price in good or restored condition.

All the Yamaha models listed here, have in my opinion some merit of innovation, are easy to ride, live with and could be used every weekend. These were all standard production machines at the time, were street legal and could be bought straight from the dealers showroom.

I do expect my choice of these vintage Yamaha motorcycles will spark some debate and lots of you will disagree with my choices, so I look forward to reading any comments

Two stroke single, 48mph, 85mpg.

The Yamaha fizzy has to be an all time classic Yamaha and a 1970's icon, this was the bike that got a generation into motorcycling. Finding a good usable FS1E will be hard as many examples will have vanished due to the ravages of learner abuse, being crashed and thrashed to death. So any Yamaha FS1E for sale, will now attract a lot of attention and be keenly sought after by collectors to restore.

The 1976 FS1E DX disc brake model I think looks the best and would be the most practical, but the earlier purple or gold FS1E with the drum front brake, would be the ultimate classic Yamaha and what the most serious collectors would be after. The FS1E has a very good owners club with tips on tuning, racing and availability of FS1E parts

two stoke twin, 80mph, 50mpg.

The Yamaha RD 125 was a brilliant small bike that gave amazing performance. With the use of the companies racing technology, the Yamaha 125 RD was turned into a small compact motorcycle that could literally blow away most of the larger 350 and 500 four strokes of the day. The one main handicap for the RD 125 was that it was launched on the market with a high price tag compared to its rivals, which led it to being a slow seller.

The RD 125 had many face lifts throughout its life until the mid 70's with the introduction of the Yamaha RD 125 DX which had squarer styling and gained a front disc brake. The earlier curvy and more rounded drum brake model RD125 would be considered by collectors the best looking and so would be more desirable classic Yamaha motorcycle to have..
The only mechanical faults associated with any Yamaha RD125 would be the usual old Yamaha two stoke problems of wearing out very fast and the chassis starting to rot.

Two stroke single, 70mph, 65mpg.

The DT 175 Yamaha has to be the definitive 1970's Japanese dirt bike and another very popular classic yamaha motorcycle. Smaller and lighter than its bigger brother the Yamaha DT250, the Yamaha DT175 engine produced enough power to cope with any off road use. From late 1978 Yamaha released a new face lifted version of the 175, and the Yamaha DT175MX with a mono-shock suspension rear end was born. (two years before Yamaha used this idea on their road bikes).

For everyday use the DT175MX has to be the best choice with superior handling, better suspension and slightly more power. Overall though any Yamaha DT175 can be great fun, it has a brilliant blend of size, performance and ability and any good ones around will still be in demand.

Two stoke twin, 90mph, 40mpg

The Yamaha RD250 was always a far better bike in most departments, than its main rival Suzuki's GT250. The RD250 had a better chassis and so handled better, and thanks to Yamaha's reed valve induction taken from its racing engines, a far more powerful and flexible engine. The only shortfall being that the engines were not as though as the Suzuki and could burn out very quickly if neglected. Much better reliability came with the Yamaha RD250E models and the fitting of electronic ignition.

There was also the Yamaha RD350 which was identical in looks and ran alongside the RD250 until being replaced by the new RD400.

Water cooled two stroke twin,110+mph, 38mpg

Every now and then one of the Japanese motorcycle manufacturers produces a true classic motorcycle right form the drawing board and the Yamaha RD350 LC just happens to be one. Tings really took off fo the RD350 when Yamaha decided to allow their TZ race technology to find its way onto the road and so the RD350 LC could blitz any motorcycle around up to 750cc. Later versions from 1983 got the power valve treatment and even more power, plus a better rising rate rear suspension which made them even more desirable. The last F2 versions had the option of a full fairing and a genuine 120mph top speed. The early pre powervalve models from 1980-82 would be the classic yamaha motorcycle to have and are now very rare and highly collectible.

Two stroke twin,108mph, 40mpg

Probably the ultimate of all the Yamaha air cooled sports two stroke twins. Thought by some in a lot of ways to be a superior motorcycle to Yamahas RD350LC. It was the Yamaha RD400 that pioneered self canceling indicators and alloy wheels on production road bikes. As classic Yamaha motorcycles go, the RD400 for its time was fast, had plenty of power, torque and good handling, so if you can find yourself a good one, your on to a winner.

Four stroke single, 95mph, 65mpg

The Yamaha XT500 could be thought of as the daddy, as this was the machine that started the fashion and demand for big single cylinder trail bikes. The XT500 was another classic Yamaha motorcycle right from the start. In looks it was absolutely gorgeous, especially the later models that came with gold anodised wheel rims and an alloy fuel tank. The XT500 was in reality not that brilliant a performer, mainly due to being a bit overweight and having a pretty crap drum front brake. What it did have though, and in bucket loads was presence and bags of charisma, making the XT500 still a very desirable and sought after classic Yamaha motorcycle.

Four stroke twin, 110mph, 55mpg

The Yamaha XS650 has to have one of the best parallel twin engines ever made, and showed the British makers how it should be done. The early XS1 and XS2 were not very good due to dodgy handling, but any XS650 from1975 onwards is much better. The very torquey, smooth and reliable engine is unbelievably strong and can be bored out to over 800cc without any other modifications. The US custom versions are much less desirable and its the UK twin disc versions which are a better buy and more sought after. There is also an excellent supply of parts available for the Yamaha XS650 from specialists

Double overhead cam four, 145mph, 50mpg.

The Yamaha FZ750 had a brilliant engine which broke new ground by introducing the five valve cylinder heads. This gave the FZ750 phenomenal mid-range power and a very good top speed, with excellent reliability. The FZ engine became the basis for many classic Yamaha engines to come. The early model FZ always looked a bit ungainly and odd too me, but the later fully faired models solved this problem. Brake discs have a reputation for warping and the front fork seals can blow. The seat has to be the biggest fault on all FZ's as it feels like your sitting on a plank of wood.

Double overhead cam four, 130mph, 35mpg

You could say that the XS1100 was something of a dinosaur, it had an absolutely wonderful stomping engine, but with a very poor chassis and tea trolley like handling. As the XS1100 had a big 5 gallon tank and wide seat it was branded as a sports tourer. So Yamaha later released an all black XS1100S or sport version equipped with a cockpit fairing, smaller tank and slimmer styling. There was also a rare Martini styled version produced in1979 with a full fairing and garish paint scheme. Only 500 were produced and so one of these would be very collectable.